Blanket insulated refrigerator car



March 22, 1938.

G. P. TORBURN BLANKET INSULATED REFRIGEBATOR CAR Filed March 13 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l /lovzfv ATTORNEYS.

March 22, 1938. G. P. TORBURN BLANKET INSULATED REFRIGERATOR CAR 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March l5, 1956 INVENTOR,

ATTORNEY.

BY Bew-ff# March 22, 1938.. G. P. ToRBuRN BLANKET INSULATED REFRIGEBATOR CAR Filed March 13, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR, )H MM ATTORNEY Mar. 22, 1938 PATENT lor-1=1cf v 2,111,701 BLANKET msm'ran nameaaa'roa een Gustav r. v'rorimra on, sans. Appucatin March 1s, 193s, serian No.- satis comms. (ci. mss-42a f The present invention relates to refrigerator cars in which the walls, floor and roof are protected against entrance of heat by means of insulation applied in the form of felted or woven sheets or blankets.

lanket insulation is more efil'cient than other forms, and is considerably cheaper and easier ".toinstall. Its use permits thinner and lighter walls, thereby saving space, material, and weight. l@ lit has been used in refrigerator cars to some extent, but with indifferent success, the diiiiculty being that, in orderto be most effective, it must be continuous, or as nearly so as possible, around lthe sides, ends. hoor and roof of the car, and it must have a minimumnumber of fastening members extending through it. Under such conditions, 4which are necessary to proper emciency of insulation. no successful and practicable means have heretofore been developed for holding the blanket insulation in place, and for connecting' the innerand outer walls of the car togetherwith suilicient strength and rigidity to withstand the stresses of loading and traveling.

The principal object of the 1present invention is to overcome the dimculties described above,

vim-to provide a construction in which the inner structure or lining of the car is as nearly .as

possible entirely surrounded by an unliroken lay- `er of Ablanket insulation, and in which said liniw ing, although independent, asv respects its loadcarrying function, of the outer walls of the car,

and supported entirely by the Vunder-frame and floor structure. is sufficiently attached to said outer walls to be adequately braced thereby.

A further object is to providey a construction in which the blanket insulation is compressed and supported at as few points as are Vnecessary to keep Iit from shifting, and in whiclra minimum number/of connecting members. such as bolts, .screws and nails, extend'between the lining and the outer framesuch connecting members as are necessarily employed terminating short oi the inner and -outer surfaces and their endsibeing insulated to prevent conduction of heat. d5 Still further objects are to provide a car having a wooden 'lining and a steel outer shell. which is' so well insulated as to be superior in-efc'iency tothe more usual al1-wood structure; to provide improved construction whereby the inside lining supports the inner ceiling and its insulation, entirely free from the louter steel roof; and to provide for extending the blanket insulation around the upper corners of the car, vwhere the roof meets the walls, without interruption and with- 1 out joints at said corners. v

N, These and other objects and advantages ofthe invention will be brought out more fully in the following specication, which should be readl with the understanding that the form. construction and arrangement'of the several parts described and illustrated may be varied without de parting from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein` Fig. 1 is a transverse section through a refrigerator car embodying a preferred form of the invention. v v

Fig, 2 is a broken plan view with the outer roof renioved, showing one method of folding the blanket insulation at the corners.

Fig. 3 is a broken plan view similar to Fig. 2, showing another method of folding the blanket insulation.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional detail of an upper corner, taken on the line i-t ofFig. 2.

Fig. .5 is a vertical sectional detail showing the attachment of one of the ceiling carlines to the upper side belt rail. ,y

Fig. 61s a horizontal section of one end portion of the car.

Fig. '7 is a verticalsectional detail of the roof and side wall lining, taken on the line -i of Fig. 1. Y

:In the drawings the reference numeral 8 designates the longitudinal central member of the under-frame of the canand da are the transverse members thereof'. At the outer ends of said transverse members 8a are longitudinal side angle members thextending theiull length of the car, to winch the lower edges of the steel side sheathing Plates t lare riveted. members il' are supported by suitably spaced brackets il. The angle members i0 and wooden stringere l2, resting upon the transverse members 8a, support the wooden sub-floor i3. Longitudinal wooden spacers It are laid upon the suboor, some distancev in from its side edges, and are down vto the angle members I0 by -bolts IE, one-of which is shown at the left in i' Fig.` 1. The heads of these bolts are countersunk, as shown.

Twc or more layers it of blanket insulation of any suitable iand well known'type are laid upon the sub-floor i3, between the spacers it, with their edges turned up against said spacers, as vshown at i1. Wooden nailing cleats i8 are laid at suitable intervals above eachJayer to keep them from shifting and to Asupport the inner wood floor i9. which is laid across on top of the spacers f Longitudinal angle 45 deeply I4 andk nailing cleats I9, and is covered, as usual, with a waterproof lining 20.

The steel side sheathing plates 9 extend upward almost to the roof of the car, and are reinforced by vertical Z bars 9a. secured to their inner faces as shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 1 shows, at the left, a section of the solid portion of the side wall, whereas at the right is shown a door to be described later. Outer horizontal belt rails 2l, 22 and 23 are secured, by any means not shown, to the inside of the side plates 9, and extend between the vertical Z bars 9a, except where the door interrupts them. A plurality of layers, preferably three, of blanket insulation 24 are positioned vertically against the outer belt rails, and are clamped between them and inner belt rails 25, 26 and 21 for support and to pre- 'vent shifting. Bolts 28 extend through both inner and outerbelt rails to clamp them upon the insulation. Both ends of these bolts aredeeply countersunk, and the sockets in which their heads and nuts rest should be filled with some plastic insulating material. The inner lining 29 of the wall consists of wooden boards, preferably with tongue and groove joints, set vertically, as shown in Fig. 7, instead of horizontally as is the usual practice. The lining 29 is nailed to the inner belt rails. The bottom inner belt rail 25 rests upon the inner floor I9, and is preferably chamfered, as at 39, to receive the ends of the lining 29. Ply-wood sheets may be used for the lining 29 instead of tongue and groovev boards, the essential feature being that said lining'must have sufficient compressive strength, in the vertical direction, to support the weight of the ceiling structure, as described hereinafter.

It should be noted that the bolts 28 do not extend through either the outside steel sheathing plate 9 or the lining 29, and do not even contact the surfaces thereof, so that Vthere is no direct metallic path from outside to inside through which heat might enter by conduction.

The usual floor racks 3|, for supporting the lading, are provided with hinged brackets, one of which is shown at 32, bolted to the bottom belt rails. These bolts, like the bolts 28, do not extend either to or through the outer plate 9.

The ceiling structure, which is independent of the outer steel roof and is supported entirely by the wall lining 29, comprises spaced transverse carlines 33, preferably wood, extending across between the upper inside belt rails 21, resting in notches 33a therein, and secured thereto by angle brackets 34 and bolts 35 (seev Fig. 5) These carlines 33 also rest upon the upper edge of the side lining 29. 'I'he wooden ceiling lining 36, Figs. l and 7, is nailed to the under sides of the oarf lines 33, and a layer of rigid insulating board 31 is laid upon and nailed to their upper sides. Molding strips 39 may be used if desired, atthe corners between the wall and ceiling lining.

The wall insulation 24 is extended up about a the foot above the upper belt rails 21, and its free upper edges are bent over horizontally, as shown at 24a, on top of the rigid ceiling insulation v31, so that no joint occurs in said blanket insulation at the upper corner-of the car. Moreover, the several layers of said blanket insulation are extended to different heights, so that, when bent over, their edges are staggered, as shown at 24h, in Fig. 1. Between the edges of the bent over portions 24a of the side insulation are laid horizontal layers 390i similar blanket insulation, resting upon the rigid insulation 31 and held between it and the steel roof 40 to prevent shifting.

The upper edges of the steel side sheathing plates 9 have longitudinal stiffening Z-bar members 4| secured to them, and to these is secured the steel roof 40 by means of intervening angle members 42. The roof 49 is of ordinary construction, reinforced by transverse ribs, one of which is shown at 43. It rests entirely on the steel side sheathing plates 9, and is independent of the ceiling carlines 33 and insulation 39.

If the particular blanket vinsulation used is heavy and thick, it must be mitered at the corners of the ceiling where it is folded over, as shown at 44 in Fig. 2. If it is thinner, and space will permit, it can be folded over in square corners, as shown at 44a in Fig. 3. The effect is the same in either case, vizt-'that the side insulation is carried continuously up and around the angle between the wall and the ceiling, so that such joints as are unavoidable, as shown at 24b in Fig. 1, occur in 4the horizontal ceiling portion, where they are less .likely to spread apart than if they were located at the corner or in the vertical portion. Moreover, these joints 24h are -staggered as between the several layers, so that there can be no direct opening through the entire body of insulation at any point;

The wall insulation is continuous also at the vertical corners of the car, as shown in Fig. 6. Each layer 24 is a continuous blanket extending from ther door post 45 on one side of the car, to and around the end and back to the door post 45a on the other side, the ends of said blankets being clamped between nailing cleats 45h at said door posts. Thus there are no joints in the side wall insulation, except where necessitated by the framing of the doors. Moreover, there are very few vertical clamping or nailing strips in the side walls' between the insulation 24 and the lining 29, the only such strips being the cleats 45h solici steel outside plates 9 and the vertical arrangement of the lining boards 29. 'I'herefore the insulation is compressed only along the three horizontalbelt rails and the few vertical cleats 45h and 45e, thus providing maximum effectiveness.

The construction of the end' walls, shown in Fig. 6 and in part in Fig. 4, is substantially the same as that of the side walls, and need not be described in detail. Horizontal nailing cleats 23a and 21a correspond in function and approximate position to the side belt rails 23 and 21. The outside end shell is a steel plate 9b. Roof hatches 46 may be constructed in any desired manner, preferably with awoodframe 46a supported by the carlines 33, and a steel flange 40a secured to the roof 40 and extending into the wood frame 46a as shown.

The framing of the door openings-require the interruption of the insulation. At said doors, as shown at the right in Fig. 1, the three outer belt rails 2l, 22 and 23 are interrupted, and also the lower and middle inside belt rails 25 and 26. The upperinside belt rail 21, however, runs through above the door framing, thus providing continuous support for the ceiling carlines 33. The door frame comprisesan outer wooden sill 41 which fills the space between the side sheathing plate 9 and the spacer I4, and which is rabbeted to receive a reinforcing angle member 48 attached to said side sheathing plate 9, which is itself formed with a ange 49 extending over said sill 41. A

composition threshold plate 50, ofusual'type,

overlies the sill 41 and the edge of the floor. i9,

member 54 and bolts 55. The lintel lies immewhere the inner floor is supported on the spacers diateiy under the belt rail 21 and reinforces it across the door'y opening, and also provides support for the lining 29 at this point. 'I'he blanket insulation above the door opening consists of three strips 24e, matching the ceiling blankets 39 with staggered joints 2lb. These strips 24e extend around the horizontal corner-between the ceiling and the side wall over the door opening, as shown, and have their lower edges clamped between a flange of the lintel 53 and the belt rail 2l.

The door itself, which is hung in any suitable manner, not shown, comprises a rectangular wood frame ,56 to which an outside steel plate 51 is secured by means of angle members 5B and bolts 59, saidfbolts` preferably extending through the frame 5B in a direction parallel to the surface of the plate 5l, as shown, rather than perpendicular to it, in order to minimize conduction of heat. The heads of all bolts used around the door are deeply countersunk andshould be covered with plastic insulation. A plurality of' layers of blanket insulation 80 are laid inside the steel plate 5l! of the door, and their edges are turned inwardly, as at 6i, land, clamped against the frame 55 by nailing cleats B2. The wood lining 63 is nailed to the inside of the frame 56.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the construction described provides a continuous blanket insulation aroundthe entire car, interrupted only at the door frames and at the lower corners It. At these points the use of wooden framing members reduces heat conduction to a minimum, wood itself having good insulating properties. Moreover, the area of these regions where the 4blanket insulation is interrupted is reduced to a minimum, especially along the lower corners, by extending said insulation down to the sub-o'or i3,

as shown in Fig. l, causing it to overlap the edges of the inner door.

The continuity of the blanket insulation, par-` ticularly around the upper corners of the car, is made possibi by the use of asteel outer shell for the entire `c r, and by making the lining as a separate structure whose weightvis supported entirely by the under-frame and door, and which carries the inner ceiling structure, and its insulation independent of the outer roof. 'I'he connections between the inner and outer belt rails 22 and 26, and 23 and 2l, are for insulation fas- A tening purposes only. The weight of the ceiling stnucture and its insulation is borne by the vertical compressive strength of lining boarding 29 directly from the lower belt rail 25, which rests upon the solid floor structure. This construction Ypermits the blanket insulation to be carried around -thc upper corners and into thef ceiling structure, which arrangement eliminates all joints in the insulation at the corners and in the vertical walls, and brings them into the ceiling where they are less liable to spread apart.

The described construction also provides dead air spaces in the wallsl floor, and ceiling, thereby increasing'the insulating effect; permits the least possible compression of the blanket insulation;

"and enables all connecting bolts running through the insulation tobe terminated short of either and weight.

ing continuously without horizontal joints from the iioor of the car to and above said ceiling and being folded over horizontally to li'e on top of said ceiling; and additional blanket insulation in the space between said ceiling and said roof, ex-

tending between the folded edges of said wall insulation, the joints between said wall insulation'and said ceiling insulation being inthe horizontal space'between the ceiling and the roof.

2. In a refrigerator car, an outer shell having 4.walls and .a' roof supported thereby; `a lining spaced within said shell and having walls and a ceiling, supported by said lining walls; a plurality of insulating blankets within the spaces between the shell walls andthe lining walls, said blankets extending continuously without horizontal `ioints from the floor of the car to and abovel said ceiling and being .folded horizontally over said ceiling; and additional insulating blankets resting upon said' ceiling and filling the space between the'folded edges of said wall blankets, said blankets being of different widths whereby the `ioints between the 'wall blankets and the ceiling blankets are staggered, all said joints being between the ceiling and the roof.

3. In a refrigerator car having spaced inner and outer side and end walls, a roof supported by the outer walls, land a ceilingsupported by the inner walls. and spaced `below said roof; insulation between said inner and outer walls `and said ceiling and said roof, said insulation,

comprising a blanket extending continuously from a point in one side' wall to and through one lend wall to a point in the other side wall, said blanket also extending continuously from the bottoms of the walls to and around the corners between said walls and the ceiling, the upper edge portion of saidblariket vbeing folded over horizontally to lie upon said ceiling, whereby there are no'joints injsaid blanket'at either the vertical corners between the side and end walls or the horizontal corners between the wallsjandl the roof.

4. In a refrigerator car having` spaced -inner and outer side and end walls, a roof supported f by the outer walls, and a ceiling supported by the inner walls and spaced below..said roof; insulation between said inner and outer walls and said f ceiling and said roof, said insulation comprising 'a blanket extending continuously from a point in one side wall to and through-one end wall to a point in the other side wall, said blanket also extending continuously from the bottoms of thev walls to andaround the upper corners of the car,

metallic lining wa/lls spaced within said shell walls; carlines extending across above .said lining Walls and supported thereby in spaced relation belowsaid roof; a ceiling lining secured to the under sides of said carlines; a layer of rigid insulation resting upon the upper sides of said carlines; and blanket insulation within the space between the shell and the lining, said blanket insulation extending around the corners between the walls and the ceiling, and having a horizontal portion resting upon and wholly supported by said rigid insulation.

6. In a refrigerator car, a metal outer shell having walls and a roof supported thereby; nonmetallic lining walls spaced within said shell walls; carlines extending across above said lining walls and supported thereby in spaced relation below said roof; a ceiling lining secured to the under sides of said carlines; a layer of rigid insulation resting upon the uppersides of said. 

